


the tale of taeil

by goodtimings



Series: the tale of taeil [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkwardness, College AU, Confessions, Denial of Feelings, FINALLY TAEIL AND DOYOUNG, Fluff, Friendship, I have no idea what I'm doing, Love, M/M, Taeil Centric, clueless taeil, doil, doil fluff, idk how to tag, where will the plot go? i don't even know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-10-31 23:04:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10909299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodtimings/pseuds/goodtimings
Summary: The one where Taeil just wants to be a good friend to his two best friends, and finds his own little story while he's at it.





	1. 0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning idk what i'm doing, enjoy

Taeil likes to think he's a pretty decent person. Ask anyone on campus, they'll probably tell you he's _wise_ , or that he's _cute_ , and he's okay with that. Some might say he's _boring_ , and he's okay with that too. Honestly.  
Because he doesn't really care all that much.

What Taeil does care about is books, stories, novels. He could spend hours indulging in a world that's not his own. And it's not like his own life is _bad,_ he's rather content with his cute roommates Ten and Youngho in their overly simplistic dorm, ("It's _aesthetic,_ Taeil-hyung.") but books — when books exist _why limit yourself to one world?_

So Taeil spends his free time — and _not so_ free time, reading and writing books. He's already made two DIY bookshelves with the help of Youngho and not-so-much Ten. He likes to marvel at his rickety, painted-white shelf 'art' on late nights when all the lights in the dorm are on. (And yes, they have a couple of aesthetic big-bulb-without-a-light-shade lights hanging from the ceiling.)(And you bet Youngho spent the first few months walking into them when they were first installed.)

Taeil also likes to walk around with in-trend round glasses and oversized sweaters, just because it fits the image. He drinks coffee with his quirky plant covered macbook case and writes his papers, flicking between his newest short story and next weeks due report.

Things change a bit one day, even though Taeil hates to admit it.

He was walking home from the library in the afternoon, one headphone playing an audio book and the other ear taking in the sounds of his surroundings. Another thing he loved, the campus. It was decorated with sections made especially for gardens where birds sung out to each other all day, beautiful archways with flowers growing through around them and pretty dark-wood benches dotted all around. It was perfect for inspiration, perfect for everything really. When Taeil had arrived home, the dorm was silent as usual, he expected to find an empty sofa and a cold half filled cup of coffee left on the table because Youngho was _always_ in a rush.

Instead he found something he probably should've expected to happen one day. Ten's smaller frame straddled Youngho as they passionately made out on their white sofa. Thankfully they were fully clothed, not that Taeil is the type to judge any aspect of the situation. He merely gaped in shock for the first 2 seconds he allowed himself to be surprised, and made a tight U-turn back out the door.  
He was sure they had heard him, and he was right. Within two minutes of him collecting his composure just outside their door, the two sheepishly came out. _(literally.)_

"H-hyung," Ten had stuttered. Taeil remembers looking at him surprised, Ten _didn't_ stutter. From then on he wanted to wrap them both in a hug and remind them he will always be their open-minded, uncle-like Taeil.

Taeil cautiously smiled at the two, they stood closer than usual and his heart ached. _Had they been hiding this from him? Or had it happened for the first time just then?_

"It's okay, kids." He gave the sincerest look he could make. "But I think our next DIY task is a _'Do Not Disturb'_ sign." Taeil joked, smiling as the pair in front of him visibly relaxed.

"I'm gonna go inside now, you guys can do whatever, as long as no one makes a bet to do it on _everything_ in our dorm, because my room and books are _off limits._ " Taeil bit back a laugh at the blush that covered his friends faces.

In his room Taeil thought carefully, _could Youngho move into Ten's room now that they were together?_ And more importantly, _could he turn Youngho's room into a four walled mini library?_ (Ten won the biggest room when they first moved in. )(Fun fact: Taeil has negative 10 luck and lost paper-scissors-rock twice in a row, he _really_ wants another room for his books.)

Since that day Taeil finds himself staying in cafe's until closing time, and wandering around campus listening to audio books in the evening. He wasn't against it, it meant more time to finish all his work _(his grades had bumped up, so he had to thank them both)_ and more time to admire the campus in the light of the moon and lamplit paths. He did miss his friends a bit, but he felt obligated to give them the space he assumed they needed.

Two months into Ten and Youngho's relationship, Taeil knows the campus inside and out. This includes all the special little nooks he never noticed in his two years of living on the grounds. He'd also gotten through 19 audio books and his grades were higher than ever. The weather was beginning to change sadly, bringing more young frat boys and sorority girls walking around in singlets until late.  
Taeil swears it's not a hassle but he preferred winter much more.

Normally in the summer he'd be in his dorm with the AC on, reading his favourite book for the nth time, or baking while Ten and Youngho tried to steal the mixture. Those days were simply past, and Taeil forces himself to enjoy audio books more than he really does.

One particularly hot day, Taeil begrudgingly leaves the house in a t-shirt instead of his preferred sweater. Although he had proof that it really didn't start to cool down until around 11pm (some nights he walked until 1am.) he uselessly worried tonight would be different and he would be forced to go back early or freeze his ass off. Neither seemed appealing.

But the "fair testing" theory he had learnt in his first year of middle school rang true. He'd spent far more than 3 nights 'testing' the weather conditions and they were, _indeed,_ reliable.

As night begins to fall, Taeil notices that the park benches seem really appealing and he wonders if he can lie down on them without being squished. Well, he wasn't that tall........... The beauty of sleep deprivation, fun fact: the heat was not helping. Honestly, he wanted to snuggle into his bed (or a conveniently close bench) and sleep forever. It was a Friday and the week had been _too long._ (Despite the fact that weeks were the same length... yeah, Taeil decides he doesn't need logic tonight.) There was also the fact that Taeil only had two classes in the morning and afternoon, so he'd spent the day walking around campus as usual, too little imagination to write anymore. Nevertheless, Taeil walks past the tempting bench, quietly singing his favourite song and relistening to an old audio book.

 _"Mark calmly opened the door to his apartmen-"_ "excuse me," Taeil doesn't remember that being a line.

He pulls his headphones out and notes that there is another student in front of him. "Excuse me, I'm a little lost, can you give me directions?" A tall, red haired boy asks, wide eyed. Taeil can't help but notice he resembles a bunny.

"A-ah, yes, do you know your dorm number?" Taeil stutters, curse him and his bad ability to talk to strangers.  
The boy pulls a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Taeil. The room number stands out bold and he can't help but look surprised.

"Oh, and I'm Dongyoung." The boy smiles shyly.

"Nice to meet you Dongyoung, welcome to Konkuk University! You're situated across from my dorm so I guess we're neighbours now?" Taeil laughs breathily, "I'm Taeil." _(who was feeling tired? i feel wide awake!!)_

Dongyoung's smile widens — it's really cute.  
"Would you like to walk back together?" Taeil offers without thinking, maybe if he's lucky Dongyoung will need help navigating through his dorm, or _something_ ridiculous that Taeil hopes actually happens.

He has a knack for thinking up things that would never happen, maybe that's why he's a literature major.

"That would be really good." Dongyoung beams. It's dark out by now, but suddenly it feels like the sun is shining so bright.

For his own sake, Taeil takes the longer route back, if Dongyoung noticed, he doesn't say anything which Taeil is grateful for. They discuss the weather and where Dongyoung was from, his major _(performing arts),_ and what he thinks of the place. By the time they reach the dorms it's already around 11pm. FuN FaCt: Dongyoung - despite his height, walks pretty slow while speaking and Taeil is literally _exerting_ gratefulness.

"This is us!" Taeil grins, standing awkwardly in front of his own door.

Dongyoung looks equally as awkward and again Taeil finds himself comparing him to a rabbit. Would it be weird to buy him a meal to see how cute he'd look eating? _Yes 180%, Taeil what are you thinking???_

"It was nice to meet you Taeil, I hope we can hang out another time." Dongyoung says, sounding somewhat hopeful.

Taeil nods back happily, "I'm one knock away, feel free to come over anytime."

Except Taeil was barely home in the afternoons, or evenings. Eh, details shmetails.

When Taeil re-enters his dorm, it's really quiet, like it usually is at this time. Taeil reminds himself again that the reason he doesn't stay at home is merely because it felt wrong to intrude when his friends were together. He wants them to feel comfortable without him co-existing in their bubble. That, and he's not hugely in love with walking in on them doing .... _stuff,_ one time is enough.

After sitting his key and bag down, the peaceful silence quickly became lonely.  
No one asked him to do anything, so maybe Taeil should just drown himself in his duvet all day everyday like he usually would. But even if the two never asked anything of him, it felt like an unspoken topic to Taeil.  
Taeil wasn't even the kind to need affection _constantly_ , he enjoyed it but it was not a requirement. He did however, miss his roommates and best friends. Memories of them playing monopoly in the weekends and watching movies every Friday had the nostalgia seeping in deep tonight. After moping around for 3:47mins _(the length of his favourite sad song)_ Taeil decides he needs a hug.

"Kids!" Taeil calls, hoping he didn't interrupt or wake anyone up. Sure enough a sleepy couple of bed heads appear out of Ten's room.

It takes Taeil a lot to stop his eyes from welling just a little. His excuse is that he's really quite tired and it's been a month or so since he last saw his friends in this light. With wet eyes _("I'm sweating through my eyes, kids.")_ and a pout on his face, he holds out his arms. The two boys hug him without hesitation and Taeil feels glad for the comfort.

They don't really speak, but the hug lasts a long time and when they're finally standing in front of eachother, Taeil feels a little guilty for the worried look on his friends faces.

 

* * *

 

"Don't you think Taeil's been really busy recently?" Ten asks Youngho, who's head is resting on his lap.

Youngho looks up from his phone, and nods thoughtfully, "It has been awhile since he last properly talked to us."  
"And he's been away all the time, especially in the evenings when he doesn't even have a class." Ten pouts.

Youngho leans up to kiss his boyfriends lips, before returning to his position. "Sorry to interrupt, too cute." Ten grins shamelessly, "I know."

"But, I'm sure he'll come to us when the time feels right for him." Youngho continues.

The two both had finished their classes earlier in the day, which is exactly why Friday was their favourite day. It meant they could spend hours together without anything dumb interrupting like _class._ Normally Taeil would join them around midday when he finished his _smart-kid extra-curriculum creative writing class._ The two boys couldn't help but notice the lack of their hyung, even if they were grateful to be alone every now and then.

"Hey, isn't your friend Dongyoung transferring here sometime this week?" Ten pipes up after a few minutes of silence.

"Yep, he's been really excited all week, I think he said he arrives today." Youngho shares, he seems excited too and Ten swears his heart shoots off a thousand fireworks at once. His boyfriend's smile never fails to make him happy.

Dongyoung arrives at 1pm, a tall red haired with a cute smile and bright eyes.  
"Dongyoung!" Youngho greets the boy, hugging him like he hadn't seen him for years. Which was hardly true. He tells Ten that Dongyoung is majoring in Performing Arts with pride while Dongyoung blushes and Ten smiles. When it comes time to introductions, Youngho confidently says, "This is my boyfriend Ten. Ten, this is Dongyoung my friend from middle school." Ten can't help but smile as his boyfriend acts like a happy child for the rest of the day.

Ten soon finds out that Dongyoung is as sweet as they come, a shy but social boy with pale skin and a nice voice. Apparently he's moving in beside them, and Ten watches as his boyfriend literally _glows._

That night Ten happily kisses his boyfriends cold lips while they share ice cream and talk about the new DC movie. He enjoyed spending time with Dongyoung, but breaths a silent sigh of relief when they return to their dorm alone. Youngho and Ten’s love is endearing and sweet, and Ten couldn't ask for anything more as he snuggles into his oversized boyfriend that night. _God,_ Youngho was _so_ tall.

Ten's about to hand over a moving and talking chocolate bunny to his mother when a loud voice drags him out of his dreams.  
_"Kids!"_ Taeil's voice calls, the alarm clock says it was only 11:24pm so Ten thinks he can forgive Taeil for waking him up. Youngho, too, startles and begins to crawl out of bed without a word.

When the two enter the living room area, Taeil stands waiting for them. He looks different somehow, even though they both last saw him this morning as his scoffed down a piece of toast and left for his morning class.

The look Taeil gives them makes Ten want to hand over all the sweets in the world and hug him for a thousand years. His eyes are welled up a little and he throws in a pout so it all appears a little more humorous than it really is, Taeil opens his arms and Ten moves before he registers it. Youngho is moving too, and suddenly the three are molded together in a tangle of arms and heads, except Youngho is _so damn tall._

Taeil doesn't say anything more, and neither do the couple. Whatever is distancing their hyung might be closer than they expected, so they keep their mouths shut and wait until Taeil feels the time is right. As a literature major, they trust his timing more than their own.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello this is not the end!!  
> it's highkey lacking the fluffs nd do young is awkward w taeil lmao, this is mostly just scene setting?  
> i'm new to writing so pls leave feedback nd i'll try to write a better structure for the next part <333


	2. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeil isn't familiar with the term 'falling'.  
> 

The next morning Taeil wakes up to an extremely loud sneeze. It sounds as ridiculous as it is.

Last night he had watched half of the Hannah Montana movie (Ten's recommendation) and ended up going to sleep before his roommates, who were more awake than him by midnight, _somehow???_ Taeil had slept with his door cracked open like all summer nights, _(fail to do so means his room feels like an oven, especially around 3am)_ and dozed off to Madagascar 2 on low volume. Ten and Youngho had a bad habit of staying up late on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and basically every day of the week. In fact, they'd probably watched another movie after that.

And now here we are. The definition of _Why Season Changes suck_ literally existing in the air. Summer being the worst.

A seemingly innocent and sluggish Ten shuffles past Taeil's door wrapped in blankets, coincidentally sneezing loud enough to wake Taeil.

Taeil is (unpleasantly) forced awake with a terrible gut feeling.

It's only 10am on a Saturday and he is genuinely too tired to consider anything. The light shining through the gap in his curtain is blinding him, and his books fell off the bedside table at five something in the morning by some possibly paranormal force. So, therefore, it makes perfect sense that Youngho rushes into Taeil's room holding their medicine box panting, "Which one will save him, hyung?" in the most dramatic way.  
Taeil takes a deep, deep breath and flops back onto his bed. Here it begins.  
  
By now it's only 10:40am, _LESS THAN AN HOUR_ since Taeil was cruelly forced out of bed to get Ten some medicine.  
As he walks to the campus pharmacy, he questions many things like, _why is he existing right now??? Since when was the sun always so damn bright and where are his sunglasses???? Why was he so bad at paper scissors rock????????_  He silently regrets all his bad life choices that led up to this moment, (like the time he folded a library book’s page bc he reALLy couldn’t find anything else (he considered a strand of hair even)).

Curse Ten and Youngho, they definitely knew something about paper-scissors-rock that he didn't.

Realistically though, he's been prolonging it. The _"Bound To Happen"_ moment that was, Ten getting sick.

 **What people know about Ten is this:**  
\- He's talented  
\- He's entertaining and humorously confident  
\- He's good at charming anyone

 **What people don't know about Ten is this:**  
\- he loves madagascar and the Hannah Montanna movie  
\- He is the most over dramatic sick person you'll ever meet.

Too many times had Taeil listened to the Thai boy whine about every part of his body trying to kill each other. It doesn't help he's the biggest hypochondriac Taeil's ever met. On the bright side, at least it was sunny. Taeil turns the corner with that in mind only to find himself walking behind a guy on crutches. _Heavy sigh._ Poor Jaehyun moves at approximately 1.7 miles per hour and Taeil is too polite to pass him.

When he _finally_ returns to the flat, Youngho is pacing as Ten sits in a pile of tissues. _It’s been 20 minutes._  
‘Hyung, what took you so long?(??????)’ Youngho asks the minute Taeil steps through the door.  
‘I was walking behind that Jaehyun kid who sprained his ankle playing rugby at the last game.’

Youngho nods understandingly, taking the medication from Taeil. He hardly reads the instructions before taking a teaspoon out.  
  
‘Youngho, they’re _pills.’_ Taeil deadpans, throwing the bottle of water and spare tissues he bought at Ten.  
The tall boy makes an O shape with his mouth, before he too, throws the packet at Ten. This is why when Youngho is sick, Taeil is also forced into caring for the oversized baby.  
  
‘Um, I’m the sick person here, why are you idiots throwing things at me??’ Ten grumbles, taking the pills anyway.

Taeil is about to remind Ten he's literally wrapped in an armour of blankets and probably barely felt anything when the door bell rings.  
Youngho looks at Taeil as if he's looking into a camera and pauses for a dramatic second. Taeil merely blinks and then Youngho is whispering 'Open the door!' while he hurriedly picks up Ten's tissues with a disgusted face. Things were, indeed, normal.

Taeil opens the door expecting a dead-inside post man delivering yet another cook book Ten impulsively bought off aliexpress (so far 7 had been delivered but Ten won't say how many more are to come). Instead, he's pleasantly surprised and nearly blinded by the sunshine that is Dongyoung. 'Hello!' the boy greets happily, Taeil immediately smiles back without thinking. 

When he looks behind himself, Youngho is standing approximately 5cm away from him and Taeil almost shrieks. Youngho looks like a puppy waiting to get off his leash _(which is nothing new)._  Like the sunshine he is, Dongyoung is _still_ smiling when he turns back. It's contagious and Taeil swears he must look like an idiot constantly smiling at this boy.

The red-haired looks at them both, 'If it's not a bother, can you show me around here today?' Taeil and Youngho both point to themselves. Dongyoung looks between them confusedly. _Cute,_ Taeil thinks without really _thinking._

From behind the three, _the pile of tissues_ aka Ten, snickers.

———

 

'Youngho is never gonna let this go, I swear.' Taeil laughs, completely surprised that his paper scissors rock skills improved within an hour.

From beside him, Dongyoung is grinning, 'It was Ten who recommended Paper-Scissors-Rock! I would've chosen Youngho because of best-friend-benefits and all, but I get the feeling you know your way around here a bit more than him.' 

 

As they walk past the buildings and gardens, Taeil happily watches as the taller boy wow's at everything. He resembles a puppy with his wide, curious eyes and animated way of speaking, as if he's genuinely interested in every dumb memory or fact that spills out of Taeil's mouth.

 _'One time Youngho almost fell in that bush because he's a giraffe with too many limbs to control all at once.'_  

 _'Over there Ten fell into the pond because he'd had, like, one beer and he was being a cheeky little shit.'_  
  
Like sun finally reaching the darkness, someone else appreciating the ground Taeil's walked on too many times to count is making his chest feel warm for literally _no reason._  
  
Dongyoung is just so _cute_ no matter what he does.

When they reach the entrance of the University it's already past midday and Taeil can hear his stomach growling. They'd strolled through the gardens and buildings, the topic slowly swirling from the uni to their own lives, how long they've known Youngho, their hobbies, etc. It's a little awkward still, and their topics stay only on the surface, but Taeil definitely feels the effect of being around a sunshine all day.

A major discovery is that Dongyoung likes music. Like,  _a lot._ Although the _'this kid could accomplish anything if he wanted.'_  vibe has always been there, it is so much more obvious now. Besides being a Performing Arts major, the lanky red-head is passionately in love with the Piano which sets off another long conversation because Taeil too, shares the love. They talk about dumb musician stuff like their favourite chords and their dream piano (Taeil's a dreamer and loves every baby grand he sees, even if it's perfectly out of his student budget.)

They decide on one of Taeil's favourite passing-time cafe's for lunch where there happens to be a beautiful baby grand sitting in the corner, a little dusty but still in good tune. Taeil is very much aware of this and happily pushes Dongyoung into the leather seat the moment they arrive. He's visibly stunned but quickly laughs it off like a pro. It makes Taeil's smile reach his eyes as the younger plays Canon in D. (We can pretend the D is for Dongyoung)

The familiarity of cups clinking and a coffee machine running in the background mixes with the warm notes making Taeil's heart warm. Like a wave, the inspiration he's been missing for weeks washed over him. Dongyoung hesitates slightly as though he could feel it too.

Here's the thing. Inspiration is like that friend who forgets to message before they come over. It's sweet of them to visit but A MESSAGE IS _NOT THAT HARD._ And so they knock on your door but you're running on 2 hours sleep, in sweatpants and forgot to shower. It's happened a couple of times to Taeil.

There are a few equations that every author can relate to. Inspiration + Device = good. Inspiration + Pen = good. Inspiration + NOTHING = TAEIL HAS NEVER BEEN MORE FRUSTRATED IN HIS LIFE AS HE PATS HIS POCKETS AND WONDERS WHY THE WORLD HATES HIM. Dongyoung looks startled and brings his playing to an end (in a completely casual way that Taeil is surprised by, amidst his stress).

'Dongyoung do you have a notebook or a pen or both???' Taeil asks immediately. Dongyoung is wide eyed and nodding quickly, pulling out a pocket notebook _(for why??)_ and a pen from his button down. Taeil breathes a sigh of relief and begins his long idea process as the world around him dulls a little. It's not the most original idea but it's one he's already pretty in love with. Finally, he might be able to hand in something to the creative-writing class.

Concept: A domestic romance short story, two boys who meet over the _flute_ of all instruments and continue to fall inlove more and more everyday.

It was small, brief and nothing new, but it's a start, a start Taeil hasn't even been able to find for weeks. When Taeil finally glances up from his messy scrawling, Dongyoung is staring at him with some kind of fascination. His eyes are clear and, like always, a soft smile rests on his face. Suddenly Taeil feels his own gaze stutter, he looks down at the notebook to hide the slight warmth in his face. _Wake up, Taeil._  

Taeil would love to say Dongyoung doesn't know how to be subtle but that would be implying _something,_ which he isn't, because it's _nothing._ It's just that the younger boys' gaze is focused on Taeil in a way that's making him keep his mouth shut just so he doesn't stutter.  
~~_((You can't make a fool of yourself if you don't speak *insert meme*))_~~

'May I take your order?' Taeyong the waitress asks, ignoring the atmosphere and smiling at the two. Dongyoung shakes his head slightly as if to wake up and glances down at the menu in front of him. _Could that mean he was staring at Taeil the whole time, he didn't even read the menu-? _Taeil, shut up please.  
While the his inner battle continues, the air around them eases and Taeil relaxes enough to order for them both when Dongyoung finds nothing. 'The usual x2, thanks Tae.'__

 

 Taeil's trying really hard not to bite his lip out of habit while Taeyong nods and walks off. It's just a thing he does when he's nervous. 7th sense or not, Taeil can definitely feel Dongyoungs soft and fascinated gaze return to him and any sudden movement will set off an unwanted red blush, he's sure.

'Come here often?' Dongyoung asks, breaking the silence in the most casual manner. He looks as though he's well aware how cliche he sounds and all Taeil can do is smile and nod without a single thought again. 

———

There's a reason why Taeil sticks as far away from the romance genre as possible, and that's because he has -100 experience in the area. He could write poems upon poems about _what it's like to fall in love_ but it's all based off PS: I Love You that Ten made him watch a year ago or one of the thousands of books he's read. So, as a solution, he avoids it at all costs.  
He's never experienced falling before, either. Literally, yes _(he was a bit clumsy sometimes.....),_  but metaphorically, no.

It's only when Dongyoung shoots him yet  _another_ smile when they part ways that evening that he thinks, maybe, _just maybe_ there might be a first time for everyone. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG ND IT'S SO UGH  
> but AHHH I LOVE YOU GUYS FOR KUDOSING I ALWAYS GET SO HAPPY WHEN I GET THE EMAILS SAYING 'YOU'VE GOT KUDOS!' :DD  
> I HOPE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE BETTER T-T  
> also, cherry bomb comes out so soon!!! (screams) i just had to mention it!!! 
> 
> thanks <33333333


	3. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'how to be confused and deny the truth' by moon taeil, available in your local book stores now !

'I can't believe that red-headed rabbit chose _Taeil-hyung_  over me.' Youngho grumbles, cuddling into Ten's side on the sofa.

Ten laughs at his oversized boyfriend who seriously resembles a fully grown dog trying to cuddle like a puppy. 'If it makes you feel any better I'd choose you over Taeil-hyung.'

Youngho pouts. 'You have to say that because you're my boyfriend.'

'Okay, you caught me.' Ten giggles at the glare Youngho gives him.

All jokes aside, Ten refuses to ignore the way Dongyoung smiled at Taeil this morning. It was not the same grin he'd given Ten or Youngho the other day. The thought causes Ten to grin. Maybe, _just maybe..._  
  
'Hey Youngho, what way does Dongyoung swing?' He asks bluntly. Youngho looks like he took it the wrong way for about two seconds before realising what Ten meant. 'You know as in, likes boys? He's definitely gay.' 

Ten nods thoughtfully, 'Don't you think Taeil-hyung would suit a red-head that has an uncanny resemblance to a bunny?'

 

* * *

 

When Taeil wakes up the next day it's Youngho's fault again. This time it's indirectly, but Taeil takes it all the same.

He crawls out of bed like a sloth, squinting judgementally at the tall idiot in his kitchen. _‘Have you ever heard of being quiet?’_ Taeil grumbles. Youngho rolls his eyes, watching his roommate shuffle away from the kitchen only to collapse onto the couch beside Ten.

‘Oh, Taeil how was yesterday with Do-' Taeil’s sneeze interrupts Youngho. '-young...'

**Oh God.**

‘I AM _NOT_ GE-GET-‘ _sneeze,_ ‘-TING SICK’.   
‘Ye- _yes,_ you are.’ Youngho responds, teasing his hyung. 

Beside Taeil, Ten groans. The trio were an interesting group as it was, but when they were sick... _heavy sigh._

 

 

Today, Taeil knocks on Dongyoung’s door first. The poor guy’s probably getting sick of him but Taeil wants to steal Dongyoung’s books and positivity for today. Sick Person advantages or whatever.

Dongyoung opens the door in a hoodie that's officially swallowing him and Taeil internally aw's. From the moment Dongyoung sees Taeil he smiles. _Not that Taeil is paying attention or anything_ but the sunshine is bright today.

_'Taeil-hyung!'_

Taeil grins, the sudden urge to hug the boy in front of him is controlling but he shoves it down. It's just that Dongyoung really looks adorable, for some reason his hair appears longer and fluffier today, maybe a little brighter too. He doesn't mean to stare, but Taeil is pretty slow at realisation. Thankfully Dongyoung doesn't do anything but smile and accept the older boys gaze.

'I came to keep you company for yet another day, and also because I need to check out your book selection, like, pronto.' Taeil jokes awkwardly with a croaky voice, Dongyoung's smile reaches his eyes and he puts his arm out. 'Welcome!'.

This being the first time Taeil's actually been in Dongyoung's flat, he happily amuses himself with everything around him. Taeil really tries not to pay extra attention to the baby and family photos in frames even though he wants to, instead zooming in on the books. He spots a copy of 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' and gasps, 'Dongyoung, you're gonna have to marry me now.' Taeil laughs, waving the book around enthusiastically.

Dongyoung grins, 'Only if the wedding's in Narnia!' 

Taeil can only smile to himself, slotting the book back in and scanning the shelf further. The Great Gatsby, Peter Pan, The Book of Lost Things, was Taeil falling in love? Maybe, _just maybe._

'The way to my heart is books,' he mumbles mindlessly, pulling out ageless titles and smiling fondly. Dongyoung watches from the side and merely admires. Every day so far (two days and counting), Taeil has yet to keep consistency, his personality like a dice with far more sides than 6. Dongyoung has only seen a glimpse but he already wants it all. 

Once he finds a suitable book, Taeil makes himself at home sitting on the arm chair. 'Let me read with you!' Dongyoung pouts, patting the seat beside him on the sofa. Taeil as usual, doesn't think and simply _does._ 'Okay, but I'm sick, so if you get sick tomorrow you know who's fault is will be.'

Neither of them are particularly sure how it happens from there. One minute Taeil's painfully aware of the distance between them, the next he's unconsciously glancing to his side to check if Dongyoung has finished the page while Dongyoung mumbles certain lines under his breath. It takes only a couple of chapters for Dongyoung to rest his chin on Taeil's shoulder, his arms casually sitting around the older boys' waist.  
_This is normal,_ Taeil comforts himself, _completely normal_.  
They sit like this for awhile. The book is not short, nor long, but they make it half way through by late afternoon (stopping every 15 mins so Taeil can steal all of Dongyoung's tissue).

Taeil sighs contently as the characters resolve their first problem. He hates to break the comfortable silence and he's not quite sure how they're gonna get out of this position without being awkward, but his leg is going numb and he _really_ needs to pee. 'Dongyoung, should we go for a walk?' he whispers, willing his body to stay relaxed so that Dongyoung does not feel him physically tensing. _Ignore that you're sitting so close he can literally feel if your body tenses, you already jumped when the enemy appeared out of nowhere and nearly knocked his tooth out._

'Good idea,' Dongyoung smiles, completely casually disconnecting himself from Taeil. Taeil ignores how much colder it is without the second body, and sits the book down.

 

* * *

 

Although the introduction of Dongyoung definitely impacted Taeil's life in more ways than he expected, he really didn't expect things to change _so much._

On the Tuesday where he has classes all day and an audio book calling his name, he finds a place on Dongyoung's sofa instead of a park bench for the first time. His reasoning is that Dongyoung is happy and welcoming and makes really nice tea.  
  
On Wednesday after his last class, he heads to Dongyoung's even though he's so tired his feet are dragging. It's because Dongyoung's warm and accepting and makes Taeil forget the stress of university.  
  
It becomes when Taeil feels lonely, when he feels bored, when he feels sad, happy, angry, whenever and whatever it is, his feet begin dragging themselves less along the footpath and more along the hall to Dongyoung's door. 

If the other boy notices, or cares, he doesn't show it. Instead, he memorises Taeil's schedule and always makes an extra cup of tea. Instead, he buys new books that he thinks the older will enjoy. Instead, he studies his hardest in the morning and relaxes the most in the evening, with Taeil and a book. Instead of keeping it in his head, he talks about his day with the older boy until the late hours. Rather than cafeteria food, he goes to lunch at the cafe from the first day with Taeil, and the many others in between.  
  
By now Taeil officially owns half of Dongyoung's coffee table, a place for his laptop, a charging port for his phone, a mug in Dongyoung's cupboard. They even bought matching slippers for the colder days.

The normal became Dongyoung for Taeil, and Taeil for Dongyoung. Like that extra part you didn't know you needed until it's there.

 

One morning when Taeil crawls out of bed, Youngho is awkwardly standing the middle of their kitchen. _(Why is it always Youngho?)_

'Are you lost?' Taeil asks playfully.

'Are you in love?' Youngho shoots back, equally as playful, as he moves to turn on the coffee machine. 

The question takes Taeil by surprise, it's far too early for that word on a normal day. 'Okay, firstly, the answer to my question was clearly 'no', and if you ask that does it not mean I should answer 'no' too?'  
  
'Taeil-hyung, you really make things difficult.'

Taeil scowls, 'Think about your literature, son.' before turning on the kettle.

The air around Youngho can be awkward, but not uncomfortable. Today though, he seems a mix of both besides their banter. 'What's up Youngho?' Taeil asks, eventually getting tired of the silence. Youngho looks up from his far too focused coffee-making.

'Do you love Dongyoung?' Youngho asks, looking somewhat upset with himself for asking but relieved at the same time. 

Taeil, again, is shocked. It's only been a month since they met, how would he know? He was already pretty oblivious about everything surrounding the 'like' area, let alone love. _(Poor Taeyong learnt that the hard way)_

'I mean... Yes? _Well, of course_ I _like_  him, but love? It's like, _grandma love_  if anything _.'_  Taeil says with a confused face. Confused by himself, and Youngho.

 _'Grandma love?_ Only if that makes you a grandpa.' Youngho deadpans, tilting his head in that, _'I don't care if you're older, I'm right.'_ way.

Taeil groans to him, _I can't even complain to anyone because Dongyoung has classes all day today._ Even after the conversation, Taeil finds thatYoungho does not get out of his head.  _'Do you love Dongyoung?' 'Do you loooove Dongyoungie?'  
_

Taeil refuses to search up love in Google, but he really doesn't know what to do. Dongyoung is just... a part of his life, but what does that mean? Sure he sometimes catches his eyes when they're reading, or if he turns his head too far sideways he's often aware of how close their faces are. And he really enjoys when they're cuddling because even in summer it can get cold at night. He's taken Dongyoung to all his favourite cafes and they've played duets on the piano for fun, they even took up a music class together. _But what does that all mean?_

Taeil's genuinely not sure.

In the afternoon after his second class, he gets a message from Ten. It's one of the many song links Ten likes to send through randomly.

 **Ten:** 'Ed Sheeran_Friends': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Myaod6GC4U

 **Ten:** This reminds me of you and red-head :D enjoy

Taeil sends back a moody emoji but clicks the link. Does everyone see something he can't? This is like paper-scissors-rock all over again.  
  
_friends don't treat me like you do._  
_Well I know that there's a limit to everything,_  
_But my friends won't love me like you._

Taeil hisses inwardly, as though he's been stung by a bee. Is it bad that despite all of this, he still really wants to go over to Dongyoung's? Irritatingly and like a shadow, Youngho's questioning from this morning comes back. 

'What even is _love?'_ Taeil speaks to the silence of their flat. The rest of the day he spends writing a dud short story and trying not to think about the 'L' word that hangs above the red-heads face in Taeil's head. 

 

* * *

 

That evening after Dongyoung finishes class, Taeil is waiting in front of his door. He resembles a cat waiting for his owner to get home, except he's on the outside of the door rather than the inside.

When the older boy sees Dongyoung coming, relief undeniably fills his expression, Dongyoung isn't sure if he should be worried. 

'Hey Taeil-hyung.' Dongyoung smiles sweetly, hoping whatever is clearly stressing Taeil out will ease. Taeil lets out a breath before he greets back.

Once they're inside and a hot drink sits in both their hands, Dongyoung speaks casually but carefully. 'What's up hyung? Did you not sleep well?'

Taeil looks at Dongyoung for a moment, his eyes scanning the face that is so familiar to him. His gaze drops to the cup in his hands.  
'It's nothing.' He smiles when he looks up. Dongyoung doesn't want to shake it off and thinks it odd that Taeil shook it off himself, but he gives in quickly when Taeil puts his mug on the coffee table and reaches for their book.

Honestly, Dongyoung doesn't like the latest book they're reading, and he's pretty sure Taeil doesn't either - which doesn't make sense because they're both reading it by choice. But one of the sentences makes Taeil stutter.  
Dongyoung isn't sure how he knows it makes Taeil stutter, they're reading in their heads in the back-hug reading position, but it's just the way Taeil's breathing suddenly catches and his shoulders freeze that Dongyoung _knows._ He knows, but before he can bring it up, Taeil relaxes and turns the page. 

 

_'Are you in love with him?'_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god i'm writing this before i actually begin writing this chapter nd i can alr say, i hope this is okay, feel free to comment your opinion anytime !! my curious cat is @nct_ so you can message there aswell!!  
> thank you so much for reading <3 there's one more chapter to go!!!!!!! (at least, if things go to plan.)


	4. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'the word begins with fin and ends with ally' - the smartass called Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dear gosh i am sorry for starting eVERY CHAPTER WITH MORNING BUT MORNINGS ARE IMPORTANT

Taeil is tired of mornings and has been tired of mornings since he came out of the womb (he's pretty sure). Usually it's because he loves sleeping and he's basically a vampire (for his love of nights), but sadly today it is not for that reason.

Today Taeil is tired of mornings because mornings mean realisation and that isn't what Taeil wants right now. On a Saturday of all days, the fogginess of sleep and softness of dreaming is disappearing too quickly. It's so cold???????????  _Wait a min-_

'Taeil get your ass up right now, I wanna know what you were thinking coming in at two-something in the morning, I thought we were past _this_.' Ten's voice pierces through the sweet silence as he tears off Taeil's duvet. He says it in all one breath that, on the off hand, Taeil thinks he could be a rapper.

Taeil mumbles what he thinks is, 'be quiet' but it was definitely more on the side of _'mbreqruieettt_ ' and so Ten is still half-glaring half-confusedly staring at him when he cracks an eye open. Last night Taeil can't even remember arriving home, only floating for a short moment - which doesn't make sense because he may be short but he was not light, and then bed. 

'Dongyoung half-dragged hard-carried you across the hall last night, you were out of it. Youngho thought you were high or drunk or both but we both know that's not something Dongyoung would do.' Ten grumbles/explains, still standing with his arms folded. 

Taeil absorbs the knowledge while reclaiming his blankets. He rolls his eyes at the last sentence, 'That's _hyung_ to you. But look, Ten, I honestly don't know what happened. Youngho was confronting me about Love yesterday morning and then you were sending me Ed Sheeran songs and then I went over to Dongyoungs to read, that's it.'

Ten in his completely unintimidating sweatpants and loose t-shirt huffs, 'Okay, but I think you need to apologise for making Dongyoung carry you across the hall last night.' 

Blinking thoughtfully for a moment, Taeil diverts his eyes to the floor. 'It's not like I _made_  him carry me, I was asleep.' Taeil mumbles like a scolded child. Ten rolls his eyes and leaves the room.

Is it bad that even though he's just been reality-checked, all Taeil can think of is Dongyoung????  
Stupid Dongyoung with an adorable laugh and the brightest smile, all the good in the world packed into human form.  
Idiot Dongyoung and his inability to cook ramen properly, but he makes up for it with great tea.  
Dongyoung that is casual where Taeil is awkward, Dongyoung who is warm when Taeil is cold and who never complains when Taeil accidentally turns the page too soon or hums too loudly.  
  
'Wow Taeil, you're absolutely screwed.' Taeil mumbles to himself, running a hand over his face in attempt to lessen the stress. Yes, he thinks he now knows what at least crushing feels like, the real kind. It's fair to say he hates it.

When he eventually crawls out of bed and into the kitchen, Taeil's pretty sure he looks 12x worse than he did 10 minutes ago when he first woke up. This is confirmed by Youngho who says, _'Taeil-hyung you look like crap.'_ as soon as he comes into sight.

Taeil ignores him, groaning miserably. 'Youngho I think I know what it feels like to have a crush and I hate it.'

All Taeil wants to do is ignore how much realer everything is becoming and how much bigger the sinking feeling in his stomach is growing, but he can't.

Youngho actually smiles at that, 'About god damn time.'  
Ten, who's cuddling into his boyfriend's side nods too. Damnit, they were adorable even when they were teasing him.  
Taeil isn't exactly jealous in that moment but he diverts his eyes away anyway.

' _Yeah yeah,_ I know "Tenho" or whatever you two are predicted it but _Did You Miss The Fact That I Have No Experience In Love.'_ Taeil stresses, flopping onto the armchair. 

Youngho looks thoughtfully at Ten while Taeil closes his eyes in hopes this will all end. Life was so much easier with platonic feelings only, why does romance even have to exist?????????

Before he can say anything else there's a knock on the door.

 _It's only 9am this has to be a very eager postman,_  is what Taeil thinks before realisation sinks in and he falls ungracefully onto the floor in fright. Tenho glance at him before a shit-eating grin crosses both of their faces.

'Kids, _I do not care_ who stands behind that door in this very moment, I am not here.' He whispers violently before ducking into his bedroom and praying they'll cover for him. 

He's aware he's being childish, but it's his first proper crush that's been delayed for like, eleven years, so he thinks it's somewhat reasonable. 

While he's quietly _(aka he knocks over his freaking stack of books when he closes the door and trips on his guitar case)_ pacing in his room, Taeil fails to notice that it is, indeed, Dongyoung knocking on their door at 9 something am. Well, he doesn't notice until Youngho's _unnecessary annoyingly loud_ voice screams, ' _ **ACTUALLY, I THINK HE MIGHT BE NAPPING RIGHT NOW BUT YOU CAN GO IN AND CHECK.** '_

 **Update:** Taeil hates Youngho with a passion.

If anyone is watching him right now they would see the most panicked inner argument occurring to a human.  
_To pretend to sleep_ or _hide_ or _CLIMB OUT THE WINDOW I MEAN IT'S ONLY 2 STORIES HIGH????????_

There is no time for any of those options because _crap,_  Taeil can literally _see Dongyoung's shadow_ through the crack underneath the door and OH GOD THE DOOR IS OPENING.

'-Taeil?' Dongyoung looks in, wide eyed.

'Dongyoung! He **Y** D _oY o_uNg W **hat** 'S _UpP_?!' Taeil asks enthusiastically, leaning 'casually' on his desk (READ: slipping on the books he knocked over).

He wonders why Dongyoung couldn't have just waited for the evening when Taeil would at least be somewhat collected. The answer is, of course, because this is Dongyoung we're talking about. The boy who pretends he has patience (he gets defensive _okay),_  when really, he doesn't have a patient bone in his body.

But there are more important things to dwell on right now, like the fact that Dongyoung is literally _pouting_. He resembles a sad, puppy-like rabbit and it is the most adorable nightmare that Taeil has ever come across. Yet again, a reminder that he is absolutely and utterly screwed.

'I came to check on you, you fell asleep while reading when you're usually the one who's wide awake.' Dongyoung laughs softly, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness of Taeil's room. _(He's actually a vampire)(AKA, he hasn't pulled the curtain yet)._

Taeil cringes outwardly and Dongyoung laughs as he walks further into the room, 'I'm sorry about tha-'

 

It does not occur to Taeil until it happens, but the words he was about to robotically speak were swallowed _/physically interrupted._

Dongyoung is _falling._

Is this real life? This is beyond unfair of the person above.

Taeil is sure that whoever controls the world has watched too many romance movies because _what the heck Dongyoung has fallen onto Taeil. And Taeil is NOT OKAY._ Dongyoung in all his sweet and beautiful glory _laughs._ He giggles like a little kid and Taeil can feel his breath brush across his face and see all the boys tiny freckles.  
  
It's too early for this - not just in the day but _in this lifetime._  Even if it's what Taeil's thinking, it's not like he's pulling away and neither is Dongyoung so they just sit awkwardly chest to chest except it's not awkward at all because it's _Dongyoung._

'You have nice eyelashes,' Taeil comments without thinking, yet again. Dongyoung's smiling like a damn sunshine while Taeil is very busy memorising every feature of the other boy. He's pretty sure he's been staring for like an hour (and he's definitely not tired of it.)(In reality it's probably only been a minute.)

  
_'I th-think I like you.'_

Don't be fooled, those words did not come out of Taeil's mouth (although his legs still feel weak as if they had). Dongyoung stutters the words out, _actually stutters,_ and they're so _simple,_ such basic feelings but Taeil has never been more grateful to hear them. He breathes a sigh of relief. 

 _'I like you too.'_ Actually, it's possibly closer to _love_ but Taeil will not walk two steps forward only to find himself 4 steps behind.

Dongyoung looks upset for a moment. 'No, I mean I _like like_ you, like, _**love**.' _

 _YES DONGYOUNG THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THAT UP_ is what Taeil wants to say, but he sticks with breathy laughter and asudden rush of confidence which leads him to grab the younger boys face and stand up straight. (Fun fact: they've been leaning against each other for surely 5 mins and Taeil in his grandpa form is slightly in pain.)

_'Yes, Dongyoung, I like, love you too.' _

All at once it's as if a thousand fireworks are let off in Taeil's body. Dongyoung is literally beaming and Taeil's pretty sure he looks the same because his cheeks are beginning to ache.

Now listen, Taeil's always told himself he will not kiss early in a relationship, not because he was against it but because he was classified: shy. But actually being in the moment he finds the urge is overwhelming, so much that for once he doesn't shove it down. Dongyoung just looks _so beautiful_ even _(especially)_ this close and Taeil is very much **status:** _in love  _that he honestly can't even recall a time where he was _nervous_ about liking Dongyoung. (Even if it was only an hour ago......) He's leaning forward before he can even think about it. 

Dongyoung meets him half way in a tender kiss. It's neither of their firsts (long story) so thankfully there's no teeth clashing or nose bumping, instead Taeil can feel Dongyoung smiling into the kiss. Taeil is sure in that moment that the only right thing is here and now.

When he pulls back he's still holding(squishing) the boys face in his hands.  Dongyoung is smiling so wide that it reaches his eyes and it's the most adorable, sweet, lovely thing. Taeil decides then and there that it's what he wants to see every day. 

'Ten I swear to god Dongyoung is really bad at this, we gotta check on them.' Youngho whispers loudly. Taeil smirks and drops his hands to Dongyoung's waist, hugging him just for fun. Dongyoung snickers and plays along, wrapping his arms around Taeil's neck.

 _'OH MY GOD, TEN.'_ Youngho shouts even though Ten is standing right beside him.

Ten rolls his eyes and grins like the supportive weirdo friend he was. And things were great.

 

* * *

 

  
Since then, things aren’t really different, Taeil still visits Dongyoung nearly everyday and steals Dongyoungs positivity and hugs, but this time there's _more._ These days Taeil cuddles a little closer to Dongyoung when they read, holds his hand when they're walking together and spends a little less time reading and a little more time kissing. Merely because Taeil loves Dongyoung more and more each day and he refuses to let Dongyoung think anything else.

It's a Tuesday and Dongyoung rests his head on Taeil’s lap comfortably as Taeil pulls out the bookmark. Taeil reads out loud today only because Dongyoung insists. _‘I like my boyfriend's voice.’_ he'd said grinning cheekily.

Dongyoung grips his stuffed elephant bought by Taeil to his chest. 'Your legs are so boney, I think this calls for another cafe date this Thursday.'

Taeil laughs breathily, 'Swap places with me then.' To which the younger boy pouts and hugs his teddy closer.  _'That's what I thought.'_ He giggles, leaning down to quickly peck Dongyoung on the forehead.

Dongyoung closes his eyes and lets out a contented hum as Taeil finds their place.

 

_He says it without hesitation this time. 'Yes, I love him. I love him with all my heart.'_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK GAAAAAH IT'S THE END  
> i tried my best to write this without thinking of it as the end but i'm sleepy right now and so idk. i really hope this is a satisfactory ending?? bc i know how some stories start well and end average sometimes :((  
> please leave feedback, (you can send me on my cc curiouscat.me/nct_) i hope you guys enjoyed this story and thank you so much for reading!! i plan to possibly drop some extra spin offs from this in the future just because i love these characters a lot. Okay i just really love NCT.  
> anyways!!! thank you again and stay tuned <3


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